How Water Conservation in Your Home Will Save You Money

By Kari Kylo, BC Hydro Power Smart

Approximately 25 per cent of the energy used in your home is for heating water! By simply reducing your water consumption, especially heated water, you can reduce your home energy bills significantly. Here are a few easy, every day ways in which you and your family can become more water-wise:

• Begin washing your clothes with cold water. Over 80 per cent of the energy used to wash your clothes is for heating the water. New detergents have been created specifically to work in cold water.

• Wait to turn on your dishwasher until you have a full load.

• Remember to turn the tap off when you are brushing your teeth or shaving. As much as 12 litres of water are wasted per minute when taps are left running.

• Consider reducing your daily shower by a few minutes. If just one person in your home showers for one minute less than their usual showering time, you could save $23 each year—for a family of four, that adds up to $92! 

• Fill up a large bowl of water to wash your fruits and veggies, rather than rinsing them under the faucet one by one. If 10,000 B.C. households shut off kitchen faucets when not in use, we could save 130 million litres of water per year. The energy savings would be equivalent to the energy needed to power 100 average Canadian homes for one year. 

• Reduce your electric water heater to 60°C or your gas water heater to 55°C. 

To learn more about BC Hydro’s Power Smart residential programs such as the refrigerator buy-back program, discounts on ENERGY STARâ light fixtures and CFLs, mail-in rebates, ENERGY STAR windows, and PST exemptions, visit www.bchydro.com/powersmart.